Harris Corporation Urges Adoption of Multiband Radio Technology to Improve and Enhance First Responder Communications

Harris Executive Addresses Full-Spectrum Interoperability for Federal, State and Local Agencies during the Conference on National Preparedness

MELBOURNE, FL - Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, today called for the adoption of software-defined, multiband, multimission radios as a principal solution for interoperable public safety communications among all first responders.

During a presentation titled "Enabling First-Responder Interoperability through Multiband, Software Defined Radios," Kevin Kane, director of business development for Government and Public Safety, Harris RF Communications Division, said that multiband, multimode radios are a powerful tool that will enable state, federal, local and tribal agencies to operate more effectively.

Kane made his remarks during the Second Annual Conference on National Preparedness, which is taking place December 8-9 at the Hilton Melbourne Beach Oceanfront Hotel in Melbourne, Florida.

Hosted by the Florida Institute of Technology, the conference features more than 25 distinguished speakers who are leaders in disaster preparedness and response, national and international security, and humanitarian and disaster relief logistics. The conference provides an in-depth look at technologies and integrated strategies on national preparedness. Sessions cover a wide range of topics, including national and international safety and security, command and control, global preparedness, and cyber security.

Kane told the conference that multiband radios will help first responders overcome barriers to more effective and efficient cooperation. "Overlapping jurisdictions and missions today create the need for communications that provide direct, full-spectrum interoperability," said Kane. "Multiband, software-defined radios have the power and flexibility to support these critical and fast-changing missions now and into the future.

"Multiband technologies address many communication challenges in homeland security that are driven by jurisdictional overlap, large areas of responsibility, joint missions, regional communications systems, and the unpredictability of the unknown," Kane said. "Multiband is a superior solution to the current system of single-banded radios.

"Solutions that are capable of providing compatibility among today's communications systems are costly, provide limited capability, or are unreliable," Kane said, citing ad-hoc interoperability tools such as gateways, switches, patches and swaps as examples. "Multiband radio technology provides reduced cost of product development and communications upgrades, pathways to future technologies, and improved battery life."

Harris is the leading provider of software-defined multiband tactical radios to the U.S. government and the governments of other nations around the world. The company recently announced that it will be applying its expertise in multiband radios to bring state-of-the-art interoperability solutions to the public safety market. Earlier this year, Harris introduced Unity™, a family of multiband software-defined radios that will allow federal, state, and local public safety agencies to communicate more effectively by delivering direct, full-spectrum interoperability to radio users. The Unity XG-100 covers all portable land mobile radio frequency bands in a single radio and is compliant with the APCO Project 25, a suite of standards for digital radio communications for use by federal, state, and local public safety agencies. For more information on Unity and Harris capabilities in public safety, go to www.talkasone.com.

Harris, a conference major sponsor, is displaying other communications equipment at the show such as its Highband Networking Radio™, which provides secure high-bandwidth connectivity among users of widely dispersed local area networks, allowing seamless communication of voice, video and data to all levels of command for greater situational awareness. The Highband Networking Radio was recently deployed to Baghdad by the U.S. Department of Defense.

About Harris CorporationHarris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has annual revenue of $5.4 billion and 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications®; products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.